Turkish revenge

Turkish revenge is a concept encountered in Oliver Stone’s 1978 prison film "Midnight Express". It refers to how in the Turkish prison, stabbing or shooting someone below the waist is not punished, as this is considered a non-lethal attack. Thus it’s a frequently employed method of gaining revenge. Billy Hayes narrates this idea just as an example is carried out on screen, when a Turk dashes up to Jimmy Booth, rapidly stabs him in the ass several times with a shiv, and then flees. Billy's ironic narrative tone and the speed of the event combine to make this seem almost more like an inspired piece of slapstick comedy than a vicious assault. Obviously a misguided rule of thumb, since getting stabbed anywhere can have lethal results. In this case, the femoral arteries could be penetrated, and such an attack could easily steal a victim's ability to walk.